Weaving Art Into NC State’s Identity

Here’s a quick pop quiz for you: Name a piece of public art on NC State’s campus that embodies what the Wolfpack is all about. 

If you spend a lot of time on Central Campus, your answer may have been something like “those metal wolves on the plaza by Talley.” 

Michael Stutz’s Wolf Walk, as those metal wolves are formally known, was commissioned in 2008 after Chancellor James Oblinger approved the installation of public art where students, alumni and the rest of the Wolfpack could have what he called their “Kodak moment” for generations to come. Since then, the trio of woven-bronze wolves have served as the iconic centerpiece of Wolf Plaza. They’re frequently pictured in promotional and admissions materials, and they serve as the backdrop for student tabling events, drum-line practices and skateboarding sessions. Students also stand next to (or sit on top of) them for graduation photos. It’s safe to say the artwork has provided many a proverbial Kodak moment, even though today’s students might call it an “Instagrammable spot” instead.

Wolf Walk is just one example of the dozens of public art pieces that have been installed on NC State’s campuses over the past two decades. “Public art provides a compelling, interesting and edifying element to a college campus,” said Chandra Cox, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Media Arts, Design and Technology for the College of Design. Cox was one of the founding members of NC State’s Public Art Committee, the body of faculty and staff who oversee the acquisition and installation of public art on campus. 

“There has been a concerted effort to beautify NC State’s campus, and one way has been through the installation of more public art,” Cox said. “I think we’ve been really successful so far, but it’s ongoing, and long term I want to see our campus continue to raise its profile and be known around the world for its public art collection.”

The Public Art Committee aims to ensure that every piece aligns with NC State’s strategic goals, is accessible and usable by the public and is unique to the university. Some pieces are also tailored to individual colleges or programs, such as Dream of Flight in the Global Courtyard next to Primrose Hall and the Office of Global Engagement, which calls to mind air travel; and “The Egg” (formally known as the Ellipsoid Construction) outside Brooks Hall and the College of Design, which was created by one of the college’s faculty members.

Tom Skolnicki, NC State’s university landscape architect and director of land planning, says a personal favorite of his is the Swimming Retriever at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The 5-foot high, 8-ton granite sculpture depicts the giant head of a playful golden retriever emerging from the ground as if it were swimming through the earth, carrying a seven-foot-long branch cast in bronze in its mouth. Students decorate it for holidays and special occasions, and it’s another popular location for graduation photos. 

“I think it’s a great example of how public art can inspire and be part of campus traditions,” Skolnicki said of the piece.

As another founding member of the Public Art Committee, Skolnicki helped approve the sculpture for installation in 2012. The artwork was created by Jim Sardonis to honor Randall B. Terry Jr., a generous CVM supporter who owned several golden retrievers with a fondness for swimming. Initial design discussions for the piece revolved around creating a sculpture  of Terry himself. However, after reviewing proposals by five artists selected as finalists, the Public Art Committee and CVM decided that a more fitting tribute would be to make a sculpture of one of Terry’s dogs fetching a stick out of the water.

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“I remember there being a discussion where someone said, ‘Randall wouldn’t have wanted this to be about him — he would rather it be about his dogs,’” Skolnicki said. “So the artist found a creative way to meet the committee’s criteria by providing a likeness of Terry on the retriever’s collar tag.”

Since Sara Segerlin — the director of the Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and the current chair of NC State’s Public Art Committee — arrived at NC State in July 2024, she has been exploring new ways to introduce art in public spaces across campus and is helping to develop a universitywide strategic public art plan. During the spring 2025 semester, the committee hosted multiple community listening sessions to inform the development of future public art installations. Ultimately, she hopes to expand the Public Art Committee to encompass members of all 12 colleges as well as students, and to improve access, collaboration, art management and preservation of art across campus.

Segerlin and her team have launched a public art webpage to raise awareness and offer a place where students, faculty, staff and community members can submit ideas and early-stage proposals for campus public art. They also plan to add an interactive map to help users find and learn more about artwork on campus.

“Public art is such a broad term that means many things, and each person brings their own viewpoint on what it is,” Segerlin said. “It can take many forms. It can serve as a landmark or wayfinder to engage communities. It can be architectural with site-specific art installations, sculptures and murals. It can be temporary or permanent. It can be interdisciplinary across art and science. It can involve mixing mediums and materials, and it can be participatory and immersive.

“It ranges from natural to urban to indoor environments,” she continued. “Imagine a lobby in a public building with a suspended art installation, or a large-scale mural on the exterior of a massive building. One example of that is the newly unveiled mural by Rough Edge Collective in Caldwell Lounge at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Public art is a tool that can be used to connect people and encourage community storytelling and collaboration. It can also just be beautiful on its own, even in unexpected ways. Ultimately, though, public art is for, by and with the people.”

Segerlin personally enjoys walking through the Free Expression Tunnel to see the latest graffiti artwork and watch students admire it, or taking a friend to the Wolf Ears to relax and play with the sound that travels 40 feet between each ear, just with a whisper. 

“It’s powerful to see how students and faculty explore public art in new ways,” she said. “For example, the Terrain Dance student group from the Department of Performing Arts and Technology recently choreographed a new dance surrounding the Reds and Whites on Centennial Campus, which was an epic experience to witness.” 

The entire campus community will have the opportunity to engage with public art and discover its connections to campus at the Gregg Museum’s event this weekend called Rooted: A Community Festival of Nature and Stories. The event will include art exhibitions, live art demos and performances rooted in nature and storytelling, participatory art activities and local food vendors.

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